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Hello all.I discovered this forum a few days ago and have been thrilled with the information, discussions and fun that exude from its pages.

I have been playing the piano for many years, up to a decent level of technique and always with enormous joy. Vet school made my practice less frequent but I was lucky enough to have a wonderful little schimmel 116 s to enjoy. That was in France. I have since themn moved to the US and advanced surgical training took the life out of my piano playing. I have had a clavinova for the last 4 1/2 years, and sadly I hate the sound and touch of it - which relates in me not playing, pretty much.I at last finished training and boards, and am burning to play again. Obviously, I need an instrument I will enjoy. At the same time, we are selling my Schimmel in France (very sad to let it go but I simply don't use it more than a couple days a year when I am home).

Two questions:The Schimmel is being sold, and our piano technician has recommended a 3000euros (3800$) selling price. It is a pristine 116S upright, played only really 4 years in the last 12, I am the first owner, tuned once to twice a year. Bought in 2000 new. Does that sound right? It seems a bit low to me but I understand pianos lose a lot of value.

The second question is, I am in quest of course of a new piano - either a small grand (6 ish feet) or a nice upright piano. I have been looking at craigslist a lot for used ones but there just isn't a great selection in my area (Blacksburg/Roanoke). A couple used and older (1953-1987) Baldwins M and L. few Yamahas. Can anyone recommend a good dealer in my area?

Thanks in advance,

Andreas

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Loving life, music and veterinary surgerylooking for a new music partner.

The prices of new Schimmels have gone up considerably since 2000. I cannot speak for the market in France, but most reports I see suggest higher prices in Europe than the US. My initial reaction is that is a low price. Do you mind if I ask what you paid for it new?

Hello! Thanks for your answers. VGrantano, Richmond is within reach. I just moved from 5 years in Pullman, Eastern Washington State. Long drives are now part of the norm If need be I will most certainly go check.

Sam, Thank you. We bought that piano for about 6500 euros I think. And it is probably a good bargain at 3000. The finish is glossy ebony, with minor scratches on the lid (lamp place).My parents told me a person is coming already tomorrow to see it. Even if it is a bit cheap, if it is not ridiculous I do want someone to love and play that piano and I am ok with it I think.

Steve, my budget is 5-10K cash and could be 10-15K with some financing. I am looking at a good upright or - ideally - "baby" grand in the 5'6" to 6' range. I have already figured that it will have to be a lucky strike on a used grand if I am to get the quality of sound I want at that price range.

Actually I have to say that after days of hunting craigslist and other sources relentlessly I am going tomorrow to go try two Baldwin R in the Charlotte, NC area.

One has just been rebuilt and is being sold by Rick Conder, a chap with - as far as I can tell - good reputation and whose candid conversation on the phone I really appreciated. That one is right at 10,000$, and is a 1940s model.

The other is a 1953 Baldwin R, single owner, not over-played (a couple hours a week) until the last few years where it has been left alone and tuned only every couple years. However, the contact I reached through that ad is a RPT counseling the elder owner and she claims the piano has held its tune remarkably and does not need much more than some voicing and regulating, and tuning of course. That one is at 5500$.So tomorrow I go on the road to try! I have huge hopes of liking them (and no I am not impulse-buying tomorrow)

cheers

Andreas

Edited by Andreas B (11/09/1211:01 PM)

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Loving life, music and veterinary surgerylooking for a new music partner.

Oh and I forgot.I am looking for something with decent base, a warmer non metallic tone with good clarity (not "mushy"), to allow me to play from clear Mozart and Bach, to lots of overexpressive Chopin, and maybe clear enough to enjoy some day again Gnomenreigen for example.I know - I may not get everything, and anyway it has been way too long since I have played anything

But you asked what I want didn't you

_________________________
Loving life, music and veterinary surgerylooking for a new music partner.

If you can afford to be generous with your Schimmel, that is a good way to be. If it's as good as you say and you asked 25% more, I think many people would still find it a bargain in comparison to the more abundant used uprights on the market.

At the upper range of your budget, there are a few very attractive and competitive new pianos in the 5.5' - 6' range. If I were in your position, I would really explore these options first before you consider 50+ year old pianos or partially rebuilt grands...a way to compare the known (and available) vs. the unknown. Many people underestimate the outstanding new crop of instruments or overestimate the need to only look at used. After that, you'll be much better armed for the wild west that is craigslist.

Thanks for the advice gentlemen. Sam, I'd be interested if you could point a couple of the new pianos you are thinking of. I have tried quite a few cheaper pianos and have been quite under impressed by the grands. At the 10k ish mark?

You are quite right about the wilderness that is Craigslist. I got to try 3 Baldwins.The first one was the rebuilt most expensive one - a "1940s" Baldwin R. The sound was decent, but the action very light, the pedal slightly loose and the serial number "could not be found during the rebuild and so it is estimated to be from the 40s". Scratch that one.The two others were a 1953 Baldwin R and a 1953 M. the R is untouched since it was bought (other than regular tunings of course) the M was restrung and the tuning pins changed. Unfortunately I don't think I can fairly compare the instruments given that the M was in a very bare vaulted room and the sound reverberated quite bit, making it sound louder and a bit brighter than it may be.I liked the M but I LOVED the R. It's action was nice, light but not too light, it's base was better than the M. The sound was very beautiful even with the piano being very very slightly out of tune. It has been quite obviously well taken care of. The owner's agent (RPT) was very complimentary of the instrument, and pointed to some mild grooving of the hammers (almost none on the lower half of the instrument), and some superficial rusting of the strings that she estimates to be cosmetic only. She recommended - were I to buy that R - voicing and regulation only, and no repairs.I am really thrilled with that find. Is it redundant to have it inspected again by yet another RPT? The owner's agent has good reputation as far as I can tell.

Anyway, lots of thought to be given to that in the next few days...

Cheers

ANdreas

_________________________
Loving life, music and veterinary surgerylooking for a new music partner.

Congratulations on finishing your vet studies, Andreas. It is not a bad business; I know I pay mine plenty to take care of my four Basenjis, and I only dread the day he retires. So it is good to know that there is a new crop, like yourself, coming online.

Your second (or is it your third) piano may be another stepping-stone. Down the road, when you have become more established in your practice and have retired some of the education debt, you will be in a better position to buy a good piano. I found, as you have, that what is on the market in the ten-grand range had me patting back yawns. In the end, I went down the row and played every piano in the showroom, and bought the one that sounded the best and played the best (well, almost; there was one I liked better, but I didn't quite dare spend fifty grand). And I found that my piano budget had experienced "creep" (many find this is so), and ten grand had turned into thirty.

I am not young, as you are, and decided to make the necessary sacrifices and order my priorities, and bought the piano the piano I liked best, which I could grow into, and could not foresee outgrowing.

One piece of piano advice that may help you, is to make the effort to find a really good tech to keep your piano in order and to get the best out of it. Yes, easy to say; not all of them are everything they should be. If you are trying to make your piano dollars go further by purchasing a used instrument, this is the perfect time to get a good tech in your corner, for every serious candidate should be inspected by a qualified tech who has no financial interest in the sale, hired and paid for by you, and reporting to you alone. Put the fifty-year-olds aside, and try to stick with a piano that is no more than fifteen years old. They wear out, so try to find one that has some life left in it, and which will be easy to turn over when you are ready to move up.

Given that, it is not such a bad strategy. You seem to have a good intuition helping you already, for consulting with Sam could be a great help. You might call him privately, at his business number. I do not know him personally; only from his posts here. A lot of the free advice people are given here is, well, crap. Then again, some is excellent. Ah, but which is which? I feel more confident, knowing that you play well enough to tell if a piano can make the cut, by putting your own hands on it.

I wish you the best of luck in your new career and with your new piano.

In the $10k range, the standout models would be on the small side, but when you said up to $15k, that brought to mind instruments like Hailun 178, Ritmueller GH170 and perhaps GH188, there are derivative models in certain markets like Cunningham, Feurich, Keyserburg, and May Berlin. That's where I would start.